Monster In Your Eyes
by JerinAnn
Summary: Takes place after the Xing arc. Shin-ah is on night watch, and has to make a decision when attacked by soldiers. Will Shin-ah be able to keep his family safe, or will he be plunged back into darkness?


**A/N: I have no clue why the only Akatsuki no Yona fanfictions I have posted so far are depressing. I promise I am working on some stories that aren't as much of an emotional rollercoaster (well, not entirely). I am only posting this right now because they are one-shots and, as such, are completed. I'm going to wait on posting my other stories until they are nearly completed in case I decide not to finish them. Anyway, hope you enjoy this story even though I am trying to break your hearts. Sorry, not sorry? :)**

Monster In Your Eyes:

It was a dark, moonless night, but that did little to hinder the Seiryuu's vision. He could still see miles into the distance and count every blade of grass. He could see the spider weaving its web on the other side of the clearing. Nothing escaped his eyes. With this advantage, it made sense that he was on guard duty.

Shin-ah remained silent as always while he absentmindedly stroked Ao's fur. It was a quiet night, and the songs of the cicadas threatened to lull the Seiryuu to sleep, but he refused to relax his stiff position. He couldn't do much for his group of friends, but this was something that came easily for him. If he could do this, then he would do it right.

He glanced around the small clearing they occupied a few minutes later and felt his heart freeze in fear. A group of Sky soldiers were quickly approaching their makeshift camp. If they found Yona….

"Go… Ao," Shin-ah spoke softly as he gently pushed his furry little friend in the direction of the others.

Shin-ah wrapped a hand around the hilt of his sword as he walked forward to meet the enemy. He didn't dare wake the others for the were still recovering from the injuries they received while they were in Xing. Shin-ah was the only fighter who remained unharmed and, as such, he would protect his friends with his life.

Shin-ah readied himself to fight with his sword, his traditional weapon. Though he could use his eyes, he didn't want to risk the paralysis backfiring in the middle of his battle.

The soldiers spotted him at that moment. They yelled for him to drop his weapon as they drew their swords. They were intent on killing him and his companions no matter what he did. Shin-ah's normally expressionless face was twisted into a furious snarl. 'I will protect my friends.'

Shin-ah ran forward with impossible speed and sliced his enemies with the quick and precise slashes of his sword. The words of his predecessor and mentor still rang clearly through his mind. "Attack first when they least expect it. Take down as many as you can before they come to their senses and formulate an attack. You can't afford to lose."

'I can't lose,' Shin-ah thought as he continued to attack with his lightning fast swings. 'They're depending on me.' Shin-ah took down nine enemy soldiers before one caught his side with a sword.

With a soft grunt of pain, he dropped down to one knee. The soldier who got the lucky hit on him raised his sword above his head to deliver the fatal blow when a clear voice rang out across the battlefield.

"Shin-ah!" Yona cried out as she ran to him, her bow in hand.

'No, Yona! Stay away,' Shin-ah thought but couldn't get the words past his lips. His inability to formulate his thoughts properly never frustrated him like it did at that moment.

"Get her!" one of the men shouted. It was the raven-haired man who conspired with the current king to kill Yona and her father. "The princess cannot be allowed to escape!"

The men forgot the fallen Seiryuu and ran toward the red-headed princess who was still trying desperately to get to Shin-ah's side. They all had their swords drawn as they approached Shin-ah's light.

"No!" Shin-ah growled out in the harshest voice he had ever used. 'No one will harm Yona!'

The Seiryuu ripped off his mask and unleashed his accursed power. He felt the relief and utter satisfaction of releasing his suppressed power. It felt as if he had been crammed into a small room and finally had been freed to walk around and stretch his legs. He looked at everything and everyone as if he were a blindman seeing the sun for the first time.

'More. I want to see more,' Shin-ah thought as he allowed his eyes to envelope everyone. 'I want to see everything in this small world.'

He saw everything clearly now that he was no longer blindfolded. His vision was unhindered, unrestrained. Everything looked small and insignificant to those big dragon eyes.

'I see your heart,' he mused as the screams of his victims rang out around him. He was completely unfazed by the sound. 'It looks so beautiful and delicate. I wonder, will it break if I touch it?'

His eyes greedily devoured everything in front of him. His mind was entirely lost in the sensation of his dragon power. Slowly, his mind was beginning to free itself from the consuming lure of temptation that was his power, and he heard another sound other than the pitiful screams.

"-ah… Shin… ah…"

It took the Seiryuu a moment to recognize his own name and the voice of the angel who gifted him with it.

"Yo…na…" Shin-ah finally broke out of the murderous rage his power brought, but before he could take in his surroundings the paralysis kicked in.

He fell into an ungraceful heap on the forest floor. He didn't feel the pain, but he instinctively closed his eyes before the impact. When he reopened his eyes, he felt like his heart, too, had become paralyzed.

"Yona?" he questioned softly. He stared at the face of his beloved friend. The first person who had reached out to him. He gazed upon her stone face. Her own amethyst eyes stared blankly back at him. Her fire was gone.

"Yona!" he cried out as he realized what he had done. His eyes wandered beyond her motionless figure. What he saw was not the bodies of the soldiers –no, they vanished like they never existed– but those of his family as motionless and cold as the girl before him.

"No…" Shin-ah whimpered as tears stung his eyes. He glanced down to avoid looking at the destruction he brought, but instead he found the tiny body of the squirrel he saved all those years ago.

Shin-ah was never one for words, but sometimes words are not needed. He let out a primal scream as he was faced with the sins of his existence, unable to look away.

He bolted upright with a cold sweat soaking his clothes. He felt movement in his fur wig followed by a concerned "Pukyu?" He glanced around the tent he was in and saw all his comrades alive and breathing. He looked through the fabric of the tents to see Yona and Yun fast asleep.

"Alive…" he mumbled before rolling over onto his stomach, his face buried into the hard ground. Shin-ah felt tears start to run down his face while he silently wept. "Monster."

 **A/N: Don't hate me, please. I cried while writing this. Shin-ah is one of my favorite characters (right below Jae-ha) and decided I wanted to write a fanfiction focusing on him. The first thing I came up with was what would happen if he dreamt he lost control of his power and he lost everyone dear to him. I know, depressing, but I still like how it turned out. I will try to make happier stories in the future.**


End file.
